Cruise Report Cuba’s Twilight Zone Reefs: Remotely Operated Vehicle Surveys of Deep/Mesophotic Coral Reefs And Associated Fish Communities of Cuba Joint Cuba- U.S. Expedition R/V F.G. Walton Smith NMSF Mohawk Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) May 14- June 13, 2017 [*- Chief Scientists] *John K. Reed; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; 5600 US1 North, Ft. Pierce, FL 34946; <[email protected]> Stephanie Farrington; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> *Patricia González-Díaz; Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana; [email protected] *Linnet Busutil López; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; <[email protected]> Beatriz Martínez-Daranas; Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana; <[email protected]> Dorka Cobián Rojas; ECOVIDA-Sistema Nacional de Areas Protegidas; <[email protected]> Joshua Voss; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> M. Dennis Hanisak; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> Cristina Diaz; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> Mingshun Jiang; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> Michael Studivan; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> Andrew David; NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center; <[email protected]> Felicia Drummond; NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center; <[email protected]> Juliett González Mendez; Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; <[email protected]> Alain García Rodríguez; Instituto de Ciencias del Mar; <[email protected]> Patricia M. González-Sanchez; Acuario Nacional de Cuba; <[email protected]> Jorge Viamontes Fernández; Geocuba Estudios Marinos Daniel Estrada Pérez; Geocuba Estudios Marinos Lance Horn; University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Undersea Vehicle Program; [email protected] Jason White; University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Undersea Vehicle Program; <[email protected]> Shirley Pomponi; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University; <[email protected]> October 31, 2017 Photo Album- Mesophotic Reefs of Cuba Figure 1. Habitat and reef biota of Cuba’s mesophotic reefs. Deep fore-reef slope: A) 1-m diameter plates of Orbicella faveolata, conical Montastraea cavernosa, tube sponges (Aplysina archeri), and rope sponges (Agelas sceptrum, Aplysina cauliformis), Punta de Pedernales MPA, Station C-21, 35 m; B) dense shingle-like corals O. faveolata, Agaricia spp., Montastraea cavernosa, Bahía de Cochinos, Station C-33A, 30 m. Deep fore-reef escarpments (the ‘Wall’): C) rock buttress with dense array of sponges (yellow sponge- Siphonodictyon coralliphagum), black corals, gorgonian octocorals, and stylaster corals, Guanahacabibes National Park, Station C-12B, 82 m (lasers 10 cm); D) plates of Agaricia including A. grahamae, and A. fragilis, Guanahacabibes National Park, Station C-12B, 64 m (lasers 10 cm); E) black coral bushes Plumapathes sp. on vertical wall, Guanahacabibes National Park, Station C-12B,79 m; F) large barrel sponge Xestospongia sp., green alga Halimeda sp., and scleractinian Agaricia sp., Cayo Largo del Sur MPA, Station C-29, 61 m. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Photo Album 2 Summary 4 Acknowledgements 5 Introduction 6 Partners and Collaborators 7 Purpose and Objectives 8 Methods Ship 9 Oceanographic Data 9 Mohawk ROV 10 ROV Survey Protocol 11 Selection of Dive Stations for ROV Surveys 12 Snorkel Dives 12 Specimen Collections 12 Permits and Agreement 13 Deliverables and Data Sharing 13 Results Dive Summary 13 Oceanographic Data 15 Collections 17 Geomorphology 18 Biozonation 19 Biodiversity 21 Impacts: Coral Disease, Bleaching, Fishing Gear, Lionfish, Pollution 23 Conclusions 24 Literature Cited 24 APPENDIX 1 26 ROV dive sites on Cuba’s mesophotic reefs, and shallow snorkel dive sites during the F.G. Walton Smith cruise, May 17 to June 10, 2017. APPENDIX 2 28 CTD sites and ADCP transects at Cuba during the F.G. Walton Smith cruise, May 17 to June 10, 2017. APPENDIX 3 30 Species list of benthic macroinvertebrates and macroalgae collected at mesophotic and shallow reef sites during the F.G. Walton Smith cruise, May 17 to June 10, 2017. APPENDIX 4 34 Benthic macroinvertebrates and macroalgae observed and/or collected at mesophotic and shallow reef sites during the F.G. Walton Smith cruise, May 17 to June 10, 2017. APPENDIX 5 43 Fish observed during ROV dives on mesophotic reef sites during the F.G. Walton Smith cruise, May 17 to June 10, 2017. APPENDIX 6 47-510 SEADESC Level I Report (Southeastern Deep-Sea Corals) for each dive site. 3 SUMMARY A joint Cuba-U.S. expedition was conducted from May 14 to June 13, 2017 to map and characterize, for the first time, the extent and health of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) along the entire coastline of Cuba. Total ship transit around the island covered ~2,778 km (~1,500 nmi). Forty-three Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives at 36 stations confirmed the presence of MCEs habitat on all coasts of Cuba. ROV dives surveyed reefs from depths of 188 m to 18 m, covered 27 km, totaled 99 hours of bottom time, and resulted in 110 hours of high- definition video. A total of 21,146 digital still images documented habitat and species, and photo transect images (7,248) will be used for future analyses of percent cover of benthic biota (corals, sponges, algae) and density of corals. The high-definition video will be used to document species composition and density of fish. 345 specimens of benthic macroinvertebrates and macroalgae were collected from mesophotic depths with the ROV, and 258 specimens from shallow snorkel dive sites; these will be used to verify taxonomy and assess population structure. A total of 22 shipboard CTD casts were made around Cuba. Temperature and salinity data recorded by the ROV-mounted sensors showed surface temperatures ranging from 27.09 to 29.52oC for all dives. In general, temperatures were greatest along the south coast (29.52oC) and o the coolest temperatures were found along the northeast coast (27.09 C). pCO2 ranged between 386-490 µatm, typically having highest values in the deepest zone, and the lowest values at depths between 80-120 m, and a second peak at 60-80 m. pH ranged from 7.95 to 8.10 with the lowest values being found in the deepest zone but with no clear pattern with depth in shallower areas. Aragonite saturation state was calculated, which ranged from 3 to 5, indicating a generally healthy carbonate chemistry condition over these reefs. Topographically, the most consistently conspicuous features were the Deep Island Slope (125- >150 m), Deep Fore-Reef Escarpment (the ‘Wall’, 50-125 m), and Deep Fringing Reef (30-50 m). The Wall had the greatest diversity and density of macrobiota; nearly all vertical surfaces were covered with diverse sponges, algae, gorgonians, and black corals. A total of 424 taxa of benthic macroinvertebrates, 124 macroalgae, and 180 fish taxa have been identified to date from the surveys and from the collected specimens. These are preliminary results and taxonomy analysis continues. A total of 109 Cnidarian taxa (including, Scleractinia- 50, Alcyonacea- “gorgonians”- 32, Antipatharia- 15, Alcyonacea-Alcyoniina- 2) were identified. The deepest occurrences of zooxanthellate corals were Stephanocoenia intersepta (133 m), Agaricia sp. (122 m), and Montastraea cavernosa (101 m). Of these, Agaricia spp. were the most common corals, followed by M. cavernosa and O. faveolata. Agaricia was the most abundant scleractinian in the lower mesophotic zone, particularly from 50-75 m. Cuban MCEs proved to be a very favorable habitat for marine sponges in both species richness and abundance. 297 distinct sponge taxa have been identified to date: 280 Demospongiae, 9 Homoscleromorpha, and 8 Calcarea, of which 115 (39%) were identified to species and 107 to genus (36%). The most frequently recorded species were the barrel sponge Xestospongia muta (shallow reef to 70 m), Xestospongia sp. Cu-1 (50-150 m), an encrusting unidentified bright yellow Verongiida (100-150 m), a large tubular Aplysina archeri, and several species of Agelas. A total of 124 taxa of macroalgae (48 Chlorophyta, 52 Rhodophyta, 24 Ochrophya, and 1 4 Cyanophyta) have been identified to date. The most frequently occuring taxa were crustose coraline algae (CCA), Halimeda copiosa, Lobophora spp., and species of Dictyota. A total of 149 species of fish have been identified to date from the ROV video. Between 60-150 m depths, fish diversity and abundances were low at all sites, whereas between 30-60 m the diversity increased, as well as the frequency and abundance of fish species. In the western region, sites that coincided with marine protected areas (Banco de San Antonio MPA, Guanahacabibes National Park, and Cayo Rosario MPA) showed a greater abundance of commercially important species: snapper (Lutjanidae), grouper (Serranidae), jack (Carangidae) and mackerel (Scombridae). The sites outside of marine protected areas had a lower abundance of these species, which could be an indicator of historical overfishing. Lionfish were observed at most sites but abundances were low compared to other Caribbean regions. Regarding coral health, only 12 colonies of Scleractinia (mainly Agaricia sp.) out of 2,415 colonies that were recorded and annotated during the ROV dives